A Memphis police officer is recovering from a stab wound that he sustained Tuesday evening while trying to detain a man who has a mental illness, police said.

The officer was brought to a hospital in critical condition but was later said to be in stable condition.

Police said Christopher Roby, 33, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder in the incident.

Roby was charged with 11 counts because police said Roby stabbed one officer and he attempted to injure 10 other officers on the scene by throwing explosive devices including a possible pipe bomb and a mouse trap rigged with a shotgun shell at police, according to an arrest affidavit.

"The bomb unit discovered what appeared to be explosive devices in Roby's residence," according to the affidavit. "Bomb unit officers advised that one large explosive device that was thrown at officers did not detonate possibly because it did not land correctly on the ground."

Roby had served in Afghanistan and Iraq as a Marine, according to police Lt. Karen Rudolph.

Police were called to the home in the 3200 block of Carrington around 7:30 p.m. Carrington is in the Barron Heights section of East Memphis.

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January 30, 2018 - Memphis police investigate a scene in the 3200 block of Carrington where a officer was stabbed while trying to detain a person who has a mental illness. Carrington is in the Barron Heights section of East Memphis.(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

When police arrived on the scene Roby and his mother were standing on the porch of the home.

Police said Roby pointed an unknown object at officers and then started throwing what they thought were fireworks at officers. The fireworks turned out to be a possible pipe bombs and other explosive devices, according to the arrest affidavit.

When Roby went into the home, police followed him and he became combative and grabbed a knife, the affidavit states.

The officers tried to use a Taser twice on Roby, but it had no effect, police said. More officers arrived, and they tried to detain the man.

In the process, the officer was stabbed twice in the left side, once at the bottom of his left side and once near his armpit, the affidavit said.

The affidavit refers to the injured policeman as Officer D. Dermyer. A list of police officers released months ago shows Officer Daniel Dermyer works for the department.

January 30, 2018 - Anthony Fossett, who lives nearby on Greer, talks on the phone while watching as Memphis police investigate a scene in the 3200 block of Carrington where a officer was stabbed while trying to detain a person who has a mental illness. Carrington is in the Barron Heights section of East Memphis.(Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal)

Police had blocked off a section of Carrington during the incident. Tiwana Young, 53, who lives on the street, was waiting in an SUV for permission to go to her house.

Young said she has lived on the street for 22 years, and lives directly across the street from a man with mental illness.

That man, whom she only knows as Chris, stays with his mother and aunt, she said.

She said a neighbor told her this man is the one who stabbed the police officer and that the man has shown unusual behavior in the past, including using a gun to shoot squirrels in the neighborhood.

“I actually saw him with the squirrels in his hand,” she said.

She also said her 81-year-old mother had called her about 7 p.m. Tuesday to warn her that the man was walking around the neighborhood acting strange and to watch out when she came home.

“I just hope that they get him some help and don’t send him back over here in the shape that he’s in.”

Tuesday night was not the first time police have been called to the Roby home on Carrington.

In 2016, officers responded to a shooting at the home. Police said a man later identified as Roby admitted to shooting his cousin and pointing a gun at another cousin during an argument, according to an arrest affidavit.

Roby was charged with aggravated assault/domestic violence in the incident. He pleaded guilty and was put on diversion until 2020. Diversion means the defendant is allowed to be out of jail and they must follow conditions set by the judge for a period of time. After that, their record can be expunged. Failing to follow the conditions can result in jail time.